TAT aims to add a touch of Velvet to Tablet UIs

Tablet devices are on the verge of taking off in a big way. In terms of operating system we are all expecting to see iOS vs. Windows 7 vs. Android as the main competition. While that may be the case, how the user interfaces that sits on top of those OSes looks is a different matter.

The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), a Swedish software technology and design company, has created a brand new user interface it is calling Velvet. It’s a UI that focuses on the look and feel as much as on the actual functionality, with the result being a very graphically- and animation-rich experience.

As the video above shows, Velvet aims to impress with its animated transitions and novel way of bringing up options screens, flicking through photos, and pulling the cloth back on all aspects of the UI experience.

Whether we see Velvet ship with a tablet device depends on if anyone chooses to license it. There will be an abundance of devices capable of running it as the UI is already compatible with Android and MeeGo. TAT also state other operating systems will be getting the Velvet treatment in the future.

When I first watched the video of Velvet I was impressed with how fluid the transitions were, and how different it was to the usual mobile operating systems we see. But then the effects got a little tedious to view. The fact is, we all like to see graphical niceties, but ultimately we just want a fast, functional interface.

I am sure Velvet will catch the eye of some tablet manufacturers, but I doubt it will be added to a tablet as the only UI. Or alternatively, it will have options to turn off the animations while retaining the look and feel.

Another area to consider is battery life. Performing graphically intensive operations like cloth simulations on menus is going to stress the GPU and CPU in a tablet. That means more power which means shorter battery life. If TAT has implemented its UI without such a problem then it will be an easier sell to manufacturers.